This past Monday, the first draft of the City Budget was released. There is a $3.6m increase in arts funding, which, while good, it is still a far cry from the $6m that we asked for.

Despite early indications that the full next phase of funding was allocated, the current budget falls short of reaching our targets. This is yet another delay in reaching the $25 per capita target that was established way back in 2003.Increasing the city’s investment in culture is a central part of the City’s strategic plan at the highest level, and was unanimously endorsed again in 2013. We need to build on the success of 2013 and keep that momentum going.

In particular, the areas in the 2014 budget that fall short of requested amounts are the granting programs – the Toronto Arts Council, the Local Arts Service Organizations, the Major Cultural Organizations program and CultureBuild.

While many councillors are supportive of our cause, not many are going to look through the budget detail specifically with the Arts in mind. So we need to let them know. Please email your Councillor, thank them for their support and ask them to follow-up with their colleagues, with Budget committee, with staff, and voice their support for getting that number back up to $6 million. Emails can be found HERE.

Plans in our sector were and are being made based on that $6 million. Jobs and productions were and are being created. Let’s not take one step forward, and 2.4 million backwards. Email your councillor. Please.

November 8, 2013 was the 4th Arts Day at the City: an annual initiative led by TAPA that brings together members of the arts community at City Hall to champion our issues with Councillors. A tremendous amount of hard work, enthusiasm, and passion was put into this project by the organizers, and by people like you who care about the strength of our arts community. Thank you.

With all that’s going on at City Hall right now, it’s important that we share the good news happening in Toronto civic life. Your efforts have paid off!

This year, a record 29 Councillors took meetings with us, either on Arts Day or in the days preceding / following it.

· Councillors committed to keeping up with the business the City has with its citizens

· There was a lot to celebrate – like Council’s unanimous commitment to get our municipal arts funding up to $25 per capita by 2017

· There was a lot to report – including incredible growth in arts activities in wards all over the city (you can read the full Arts Day message here)

· Social media had real impact in spreading awareness of our cause, with 279 supporters contributing 629 tweets which had an estimated reach of over 400,000 Twitter accounts

· And we had a clear message for Council: Commit to the second phase of funding promised for the 2014 budget

The response: it’s happening. An increase in funding is scheduled to be part of the 2014 budget (even budget chief Frank Di Giorgio said so!).

This is a huge victory for Toronto’s arts community. It’s an encouraging development in our relationship with municipal government. And it’s a sign of how strong Toronto’s arts community is. This kind of progress happens because:

· Of your participation and civic engagement

· Of critics within our community who have challenged how we advocate for our interests time and again, demanding we step up our collective game

· Organizations like TAPA, TAC/F, Arts Etobicoke, Beautiful City, BfTA, East End Arts, Lakeshore Arts, North York Arts, Scarborough Arts, and Urban Arts rally for events like Arts Day

· Our colleagues at the provincial and national levels are working hard to do the same.

· Of grassroots activity like Theatre Passe Muraille’s ingenious EA Nights (EA’s of city councillors), which brings dozens of City staffers out to the theatre

· People like you write to your government representatives and tell them what’s important to voters!

It’s easy to feel frustrated over the state of politics in Toronto, but remember: progress is possible regardless of how big the distractions are – we can see it happening right now. It’s worth celebrating. And it’s worth asking: what can we do next?

So please keep it up! Remember, This is Just the Beginning! 2014 is an election year, and ArtsVote will definitely be a part of it. We hope you will stay involved, and that you will help us continue to champion the things that make Toronto a great place to live, work, play and visit.

Like this:

ETA: the text below is from the eblast sent out earlier this week by TAPA.

Earlier this year, City Hall committed to a $25 per capita funding level for Toronto artists by 2017 – we need YOUR HELP to guarantee they follow through on that promise!

This is just the beginning – together we will create a vibrant arts city! On Friday, November 8, (that’s TODAY!) TAPA and the Friends of the Arts Network will converge on City Hall for the 4th Annual Arts Day at the City. Show Toronto Councillors just how important their support is to our community by getting involved today:

TWEETWe are asking all TAPA members to take a photo of someone at your organization or in your community, holding a sign with the “This is just the Beginning” tagline (attached). This could be an audience group shot too if you like! Tweet your ‘sign photo’ and your support with #JustTheBeginning

TWEET with the hashtag #artsdayTO

POST about #artsdayTO on Facebook

EMAIL your patrons and ask them to show their support for the Toronto artists they love

CONTACT YOUR COUNCILLOR to tell them you’re an artist, and you VOTE! 2014 is an election year! (if you don’t know who that is, click here)

Remember: funding isn’t guaranteed until it’s in the budget! It’s your future: make sure City Hall knows how important municipal arts funding really is to artists and audiences across Toronto

Arts Day at the City is an annual TAPA initiative that brings Toronto’s arts community to City Hall to strengthen its relationship with the municipal government. Throughout the day, sector champions meet with councillors to discuss pressing issues for the community, and share the successes of arts and culture initiatives across the city. This November, TAPA and the Friends of the Arts look forward to celebrating the results of the first phase of a three-part budget increase for Toronto arts grants, and reaffirm Council’s commitment to the second and third phases of funding in the upcoming municipal budgets.

Like this:

The brochure for the Next Stage Theatre Festival has dropped – it and the shows in it look great. Click here for the 2014 lineup. Along those same lines, the 2014 Fringe Lottery Party is coming up with 694 applications going into the hat.
Fringe Lottery Party Monday November 25, 2013
7pm (doors at 6pm)
The Tranzac Club, 292 Brunswick Ave
Hosted by Jan Caruana
No admission fee, cash bar, free cake
New Play Contest winners will also be announced

Reminder that November 8 is the fourth annual Arts Day at the City – November 5, 2013.

The Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts (TAPA) along with Friends of the Arts will meet with over twenty-five individual City Councillors on Friday November 8 to discuss the importance of and impact of the arts on Torontonians. Arts supporters, donors, artists and arts administrators will spend the day in meetings with a record number of councillors representing a range of wards from across the city. Discussions will focus on the Creative Capital Gains Report issued in May 2011 which City Council unanimously supported. A key message is to thank Council for unanimously voting for the City’s per capita spending on arts and culture to be increased from $18 to $25, and to remind them that this is just the beginning.

Click here for the trailer, share with your friends, tweet your support with #artsdayTO.

Like this:

Saw this courtesy Naomi Snieckus and NTOW is a favourite of mine so here’s a PSA for them.Attention Toronto Improvisers! NTOW is putting together a core cast of improv stars for a record breaking attempt at a 54-hour non-stop improvised comedy soap opera.It’s part of IMPULSE, a new international improv festival we are running in association with Soulpepper Theatre. The Soap-a-thon will start at 3pm on Friday December 13th and finish at 9pm on Sunday December 15th at The Young Centre For The Performing Arts in the Distillery. Half of the proceeds will go to charity. We’re going to need a core cast of lunatics to do the ENTIRE run. We’ll also need people to do big chunks of time and of course we’ll need volunteers to help run this sucker! Who’s in? Email info@thenationaltheatreoftheworld.com with the subject: “Impulse Soap Cast” or “Impulse Soap Volunteer”.

#artsdayTO: Fantastic blog post from Meaghan Davis over at Volcano:

Earlier this year, City Hall committed to reach a $25 per capita funding level for Toronto artists by 2017. IT’S UP TOUS – artists, arts workers, students, and patrons – to make sure they follow through on that promise!

On Friday, November 8, TAPA and the Friends of the Arts Network will converge on City Hall for the 4th Annual Arts Day at the City. Show Toronto Councillors just how important their support is to our community by getting involved today: here’s what you can do

“In Mr. Zavelson’s opinion, it’s not just the technology audience members have in the palms of their hands that’s to blame. He suspects that on-demand and streaming media services have accustomed people to viewing “shows” in the casual atmosphere of their own homes, and now they are bringing those manners with them into the public space.”

I guess for me the part where I wasn’t in my pajamas and had paid money to be there would remind me I wasn’t at home, but there you go.

and last week

Theater Night: Vigilantes 1, Vulgarians 0“The lady seated to my immediate right (very close quarters on bench seating) was fairly insistent about using her phone. I asked her to turn it off. She answered: “So don’t look.” I asked her whether I had missed something during the very pointed announcements to please turn off your phones, perhaps a special exemption granted for her. She suggested that I should mind my own business.”

I was at a movie a couple of weeks, the couple sitting three seats over from me carried on a discussion about the movie the entire two hours. I am going to give them a small benefit as their stupidity seemed to be – uh – chemically induced. One of those couples who were talking during an exposition scene then when the exposition became reality, were full of questions because they’d missed the exposition.

I don’t even know any more. I don’t know about a lot of things. I do know I mentioned there might be another “Dear Rob” post this week and it didn’t happen. The story gets sadder and more ridiculous by the day. Instead, here’s a link to Ivor Tossell’s Dear Rob. The most upsetting paragraph holds the most truth for me –

“Bad as they are, things could keep getting worse. Irrespective of the allegations themselves, Ford has terminally damaged his credibility by leaving the city hanging when it needed to hear from him most. And with his credibility goes our credibility, in our own eyes and the eyes of the world on which we depend. Toronto cannot keep on until the end of 2014 with a mayor who won’t address the charges against him that have ground government to a halt, who’s turned his city into a global laughingstock, and who could well be self-destructing in the grips of an addiction. The status quo is not an option. Yet the courses that aren’t an option are the ones Ford has historically been most determined to pursue.”

Reminder to take a break every so often from the 24 hour newsfeed. Go outside for a bit, I know it’s cold but you know what I mean.

Saturday I’m off to the first of the four consultations about just how and where that money should be put to use.
And Sunday I’m off to give a workshop on social media at the Dancer Transition Resource Centre as part of their Living Creatively agenda.

It’s been a long week. A good and busy one, but long. Our intrepid Communications Coordinator has taken over the blog today with the post below. But first – a cartoon.

And now may I present Lisa presenting

Sue and Lisa’s Favourite Places to Work

The Gladstone HotelWe love the Gladstone. The restaurant in the Melody Bar usually doesn’t open until 5pm and so we are free to grab a coffee from the cafe and take up some of the comfy space! You can find us there, typing away on our individual computers, for hours… luckily we’ve become friends with the servers.

Try the... Falafel… but don’t expect the typical meal!

CSI Cafe on BathurstA creative space full of contentious people. There is always a space for us to plug in at the large communal tables and work the day away.

Try the… Soup of the day. Always healthy. Always delicious.

Dark HorseSunny, spacious and hip… we like Darkhorse on Spadina for its feel and funky music. Have to be careful to grab a plug in when it’s free, but generally worth the trip downtown!

Tequila BookwormWhen Sue first told me to meet her at Tequila Bookworm one day at noon, I was a bit alarmed… turns out the place is a great mix between cafe and restaurant… free wifi and yummy food… don’t mind if we do!

Try the… burger any way you like it. They’ve got yummy fries too!

Cadillac LoungeThis is definitely the most ‘bar-like’ space we work in. It’s a very casual environment and a different feel from most spaces. You’ll like this if you’re in the mood for a beer while you work!

Lots going on at City Hall this week – Toronto City Council is about to vote on whether to approve $6 million in arts funding for the 2013 budget. Volcano has put together a comprehensive blog post on the number of ways you can show your support in Erupting Now.

You read that correctly – the six million in arts funding we all celebrated? It’s not a done deal. They still have to approve it. Our work is not done, make your voice heard.

Speaking of arts, I was at the opening night of Legoland last night, and had a great time, it’s always a treat to head over to Passe Muraille, see art, see people, and talk about art and lipstick with folks. Legoland was a favourite of mine when it was in the 2010 Fringe, and it’s still as darkly quirkyfunny. Much fun.

From alltop.com – Social Influencers: Digital Marketing’s most overlooked and misused resource. If anyone from CDAM 101 is reading today – this infographic describes what we were talking about in last week’s social media class when we ran out of time. Enjoy!